Herbie

It does prevent the battery from being overcharged but I'm not sure if there's a correlation between the 80% and the 8 bars on the dashboard monitor. As the driver or end user of the car, we don't have access to all of the capacity of the battery. I can't remember if we get to use 60% or 80% of the total battery capacity but for the sake of this topic we'll assume it to be 80%. So, if you think of it as a vertical scale from 0 at the bottom to 100 at the top, we are blocked from using the first 10% between 0 and 10, and the last 10% between 90 and 100. As I understand it the dashboard meter indicates the level of charge in the part of the battery that we have access to, not the SOC of the whole battery, so when we see all 8 bars lit up it means that our part of the battery is fully charged but not necessarily the whole battery. In reality, of course, the battery isn't physically sectioned off into 'ours and theirs' and it's all done electronically, but I do remember reading that the charge indicator only relates to 'our' part. When going downhill and the traction battery becomes fully charged and cannot accept any more, MG1 spins the engine to provide a variable amount of engine braking, which is used as resistance to 'use up' the surplus electricity.

Yes.

On long descents mine often goes right up to the top.

I have to pick up a click and collect order in a few minutes so I haven't got time to answer all points comprehensively but what I will quickly say is, don't be dazzled by the 'Lexus' badge. Your's isn't a hybrid so there's nothing special to think about there and yes, it is a Lexus but it's still just 'a car' that's 12 years old. There's absolutely no need whatsoever to take it to Lexus and pay their extortionate prices. Hell, it doesn't even need to be an independent Lexus specialist - there are many superb garages and mechanics out there who have excellent reputations and do great work. The most important thing is to get personal recommendations from happy customers so that you can be safe in the knowledge that your car will be in good hands. If I'm going to change the tranny fluid I can't see the point in not changing the filter at the same time, but again, you have what appears to be a well reviewed gearbox specialist nearby so get a quote from them. Right, I'm off to pick up my order. Whatever you decide to do I'm sure it'll go well. Most of all, enjoy the car for what it is.

I agree with what Lee says above. When you say "paint protection" do you mean some sort of coating over the whole car or the protection that covers you for things like supermarket trolley dings and scratches? If the latter, you'll get it cheaper elsewhere. We didn't know any different when we bought our 'new to us' RX450h so paid £300 for the trolley ding protection and £300 for Gap Insurance. Only a month or two later did we find out that we could have got both things for £150 each from other places.

I've often wondered why this causes people so much consternation. As long as the battery physically fits in the holder then wrong terminal position shouldn't matter - simply extend the battery cables. OK, I appreciate that a 'proper' battery with terminals in the correct position is preferable, but connectors are made specifically for the job of extending battery cables and it's not a 'bodge' to use them and do so. Given a long, arduous search to find a 'proper' battery that will inevitably be more expensive, or the choice of getting one immediately off the shelf and extending the cables, I know what I'd do.

Which is nnneeeaaarrrlllyyy what I said when I said it resets things

The only reason most people replace the water pump at the same time as the timing belt is not because of wear or leakage, but rather because of its location and the fact that the belt has to come off to do it. If, for example it's going to cost £300 to replace the belt, doing the water pump at the same time would add maybe £40-£50 to the job. However, if it's done at a different time then you'll get another big bill because all of the labour that was carried out to replace the belt will have to be done again to replace the pump.

ECO mode just means that when you press the accelerator it takes ages to wind up Sport means that you use more fuel (which somewhat defeats the idea of a hybrid) and is more fun Normal is what you'll settle on for 99% of the time

Nah, she'll be fine, as will you Jon. If you don't get a paper manual then you can download one from here https://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/about-my-lexus/manuals/ I read mine from cover to cover, just like I would read any other book. I know, I'm sad, but it really does help to get your head around some things. And don't forget that we need to see pictures as well 🙂

You're partly right Lee. The main problem is that you can't find a fault when it's not there - the fault has to be active so that you can "dive into it further" and do more tests. If pulling the fuse resets it then yes, you have a circuit to look at but if no fault conditions are present how can you diagnose it?

You're welcome 🙂 You can't manually select EV (Electric Vehicle) Mode and expect it to go from 0 to 60mph or whatever, but my RX450h has switched to battery at about 40mph during normal driving. It's a bit of a difficult concept to explain but you'll soon get used to it when you're doing it yourself. Not really but that's where most of it comes from. Every time you lift your foot up from the accelerator pedal you'll see the power meter dip into the 'Charge' area so it is charging, although not by much. However, when you actively brake then you'll see the power meter dip right down to the bottom of the scale, which indicates maximum charging. Never, really. I've had my RX450h for over two years now and never selected Neutral at all. No it won't - but don't worry about that because the traction battery will last at least a couple of months with the car not being used, possibly even longer. The way the system works is that the 12v battery only has to boot the computers to get the hybrid system running and into READY mode, along with a couple of other things. In a conventional car the starter motor will draw about 300A or more to crank the engine, so the battery has to be quite big and beefy. Getting a hybrid system up and running takes less than 20A, which is why Lexus/Toyota thought it a good idea to save some money and only provide a small capacity 12v battery. I can see their rationale for this but the downside is that the car can't be left standing as long as a conventional car before the 12v battery goes flat. So, the 12v battery gets the car into READY mode, which is our equivalent of the engine running in a conventional car. As I said above, our cars don't have starter motors or alternators, but in READY mode the 12v battery is being charged by means of a DC/DC converter, which takes the 288v of the traction battery and converts it to 14.5v or thereabouts. When the petrol engine is needed, the hybrid system energises MG1 (or is it MG2? I always get mixed up!) and spins the engine up to about 1,000rpm before the system applies fuel and a spark to fire it, which is why all three things (12v battery, traction battery and petrol engine) are needed for the car to run. If the traction battery were ever to go flat then you'd have to call out the dealer or some other specialist who has the knowledge and the equipment to deal with it - at 288v, it's not something the AA, RAC or other breakdown service is equipped to deal with.

Yes, we love to see pictures of member's cars

You say it's your first Lexus so I'm assuming it'll be your first hybrid too? If so, there's a knack to driving them. Don't 'baby' the car. Accelerate briskly to the desired speed and then just back your foot ever so slightly off and, traffic flow and hills allowing, you should be able to maintain speed on battery for a while. Anticipate traffic ahead and try to brake gently because this is how the traction battery is recharged. The aim is to get the regenerative braking system to do most of the stopping for you so that the traction battery stays charged. If I remember correctly, I think the regen system slows the car down to 3mph and then the traditional hydraulic brakes take over to bring the car to a full stop - which is why brake pads and discs last much longer on a hybrid car than a conventional one. If it's an emergency situation and you need to anchor on then the hydraulic brakes come on immediately, but otherwise the regen system is your new best friend Remember though, these are hybrid cars, not electric cars. If you manage to drive on battery alone then the most you'll get is maybe a couple of miles before the battery goes flat. This also means that you can't drive the car (or even start it) if you run out of petrol. You need three things to be working for the car to run - the 12v battery, the 288v traction battery and the petrol engine. Because the petrol engine only runs as and when necessary and not continuously, anything that would normally be driven from the engine by a belt such as the alternator and power steering pump etc., is driven by electric motors. Hybrids have no starter motor, no alternator, and a small 12v 'starter' battery that can often go flat if the car is left standing for two or three weeks so a few of us on here carry one of these or something similar which is small enough to carry in the glove box. They work very well and are well worth the cost for peace of mind alone. It's perfectly fine to jump start a hybrid if needed but never use a hybrid to jump start a conventional car or the end result may be a big bang that causes a huge dent in your wallet! One other thing is that if you're ever parked up for a while (say you've taken your wife to the hairdressers/dentist/shops/whatever) and you're sat in the car listening to the radio while waiting for her, always make sure that the car is in READY mode and P (never N). This is because the traction battery will lose charge quite quickly but if the car is in READY and P, the petrol engine will fire up as and when necessary to keep the battery charged. At traffic lights or other similar situations keep the car in D with your foot on the brakes rather than moving into N as you may have been taught when learning to drive - the hybrid system doesn't work with the car in N. Above all else - enjoy!

Not a specific Lexus/Toyota specialist but a very good and trustworthy mechanic who really knows his stuff and his prices are very reasonable too. He's worked on my RX300 when I had it and also my current RX450h and I highly recommend him. John Barton Ribble View Garage 2A Rough Hey Rd (industrial estate opposite Crematorium) Preston PR2 5AR 01772 798856

The method they advocate there Lee is now considered to be 'not good' because the act of taking a fuse out can actually reset whatever is causing the drain so you'll never find the problem.

The word "spoilers" has never been so appropriate! Just like a big carrying handle in my view!

First of all, what's the battery condition and state of charge? Has the battery had a heavy discharge test? If the battery is OK and the alternator is OK, then you may have a parasitic drain and the best way to check this is:

Brilliant John, I'm already eagerly awaiting the next installment!

Lexus labour charge is around £130 + VAT per hour, so you're well justified there my friend

Maybe the holes had to be so big to allow working in there, I don't know.

Ridiculous pricing! From reading other posts on this forum I know that Witter and Westfalia make towbars for the Gen 3 RX and maybe others do too, so it should be fairly easy to get a more reasonable price for either supply only and get your local garage to fit, or supply and fit. As for the satnav update, that too is an utterly crazy price! I wouldn't care if it was useful and worth having but it's clunky, counter-intutive, slow and can't do full post codes, to name just a few of its faults. I use Waze on my phone - free maps, free map updates, free speed camera alerts and the ability to update information 'on the fly'. If any Waze user comes across a road problem such as an accident or a breakdown or even a herd of escaped cows, they can upload a warning to Waze HQ and maps will be updated within two or three minutes so that other Waze users are alerted to the problem:

Not quite sure what I'm looking at but it seems to me that they've cut the plastic (or whatever) undertray? If that's correct then I'm not sure that you really have anything to complain about as the undertrays are there more for soundproofing and reducing wind noise rather than protecting any metalwork or components from the elements. I suppose it will be noisier when driving now though, and I have to say that they don't seem to have even tried to smooth off the edges, so that's bad.

That seems a singularly stupid thing to do, and something that the phrase "Don't try this at home" was invented for.

Yes there is - just search eBay or Amazon and you should find something suitable. If you have access to a laptop then the best thing is to buy a miniVCI cable, again, from the Bay of Fleas or Amazon. These cables almost always come with a pirated copy of Techstream, which is the exact same diagnostic software that Lexus Techs use in the dealer workshops. Of course, I'm not advocating the use of pirated software, that's a matter for your own conscience. The correct way would be to download a free and legitimate copy of Techstream from Lexus themselves and then buy a block of time (1 hour, 4 hours, a day etc., etc) to use it when you want to. Whatever you decide though, you'll still need that miniVCI cable anyway, to connect the laptop to the car.